Resins and Gel Coat Fire Safety questions

[JShuhayda]

Hello !


A little back round about myself. I am still very much a beginner when it comes to resins and mold making. About two years ago, I was working for a ceramic company. The company produced a lot of there own molds for making custom ceramic parts. From working there I learned a lot about about different casting technics and mold making.
I have now turned some of what ive learned into a hobby. Mostly making little parts and toys for friends. My next adventure I have been messing with is different composites, mostly fiber glass and resin.
My problem is, is getting cold out so I have to work in my garage with it mostly shut up for winter. The resin and gel coats I have been trying out are really starting to smell up my garage and im also worried about possibly having an fire or worse an explosion in my small garage as there vapors are highly flammable. I wouldn't mind putting in a ventilation system, I have a small old dayton blower I should be able to rig up with some duct work.
Should I be worried about the blower motor igniting the exhaust fumes from the gel coat?

Thank you all

[RageofAchilles]

Hi,
I used to store fibreglass resin in the flat I lived in a few years ago and I know the smell very well .
In answer to your question , I would say that as long as the resins are in sealed containers, there wont be a problem. The smell is no doubt the result of residue or spill on the outside of the container or the lid.

One trick that gets rid of the high smell of polyester resin and gel coat is to wipe the outside of your containers and any surfaces with resin on, with regular cleaning bleach. The smell should subside markedly after that.
My flat smelled as if I had built a fibreglass boat in it for 2 weeks, but it gradually went away after using the bleach. This also works for any fibreglass parts you have made aswel, just be sure to wipe everything down with water afterwards, or you will suffer the smell of bleach instead lol.

hope this helps

[mangozac]

That's a really good question!

My opinion is that it depends on two things: the motor construction and the vapour concentration.

If the vapours were concentrated at any significant level then they would be extremely flammable. If the lids are always on the containers and you aren't getting any noticeable health reactions then I would suggest that the vapour density is fairly low and thus not as likely to ignite.

If the fan runs from a 240V (or 110V) AC power supply then it will most likely be a small induction motor. Induction motors have no brushes or similar parts which cause sparking, so the chance of the motor causing ignition from an electrical perspective are extremely low. There you will get sparking is at the power switching point, but I would expect that the be sufficiently isolated and the vapour concentration low enough to not be a problem

To summarise: for an induction motor based fan I reckon it will be fine.

Good tip on the bleach, RoA! Although doesn't that just replace the resin smell with a bleach smell?

Edit:
I recently discovered that the type of motor used in fans like these are not necessarily standard induction motors. It's possible that differing motor types are used, some of which will include slip rings and brushes, which can cause sparking. It's hard to tell exactly which type of motor is being used and would have to be assessed on an individual basis. Other than an induction motor the other fan type that would be appropriate is a brushless DC fan, the type most computer style fans are

[Hythos]

Hi guys -
I wanted to piggy-back on this for health-safety as well.

I've read in other threads, about the use of a dust-mask or filter, when using resins. I understand the toxicity of some compounds can be harmful / nauseating, though reading through the MSDS of a few of them show it's not exceedingly dangerous.

When using Oomoo & Smoothcast (of course, both Smooth-on products), are these compounds I should be using away from living quarters (IE, living room, etc), and if in a place like my workshop that doesn't receive very good ventilation in winter months, what would be recommended?
There's no trace of smells/scents in the air, but that doesn't mean fumes aren't present.
Thanks!

[mangozac]

Right, well as you've done the first thing to do is consult the datasheets and MSDSs for the products. I'm going to comment on them here for the benefit of others.

The does advise minimising inhalation of vapours. Note that it hasn't been tested for carcinogenic and other similar effects, but I suspect that that's just because it doesn't contain any suspect compounds so they didn't want to waste money having it tested.
The also recommends avoiding inhalation, but on the plus side it also states that it contains no known carcinogenic compounds.

I would always recommend doing any casting activities away from living quarters. If casting in hobby volumes it's not so much an issue of fume inhalation but just general good practice. Casting can also be messy and if you get resin in the carpet it's not coming out!

I cast in my garage workshop but always with some ventilation. If ventilation is bad in winter you probably should set up some kind of exhaust fan. I personally likely wouldn't bother, although living in Australia I can always create some ventilation, even in the middle of winter!